Types of bamboo you can buy for your garden

Growing bamboo in your garden can give it a truly exotic and foreign look – you’ll feel like you’re in a serene far away land. In our last articles, we showed you how to grow and control bamboo. But knowing what types of bamboo to look for is also important for achieving a personalized garden design that matches your style.

Borinda bamboo: this type of bamboo grows about 15 feet high in the shade. It can survive cold temperatures and can be planted alongside evergreen trees, which makes them a great variety for Vancouverites. This is a clumping type of bamboo. Pandas eat this type of bamboo, but don’t worry, you’ll be safe from the furry bears here in North America!

When picking out Borinda bamboo, look for:

• Borinda Boliana for a really high and darker, redder look.
• Borinda angustissima for narrow leaves
• Borinda contracta for a blue-gray look
• Borinda macclureana for larger leaves and a purple look
• Borinda utilis for a curvy look in higher altitudes with lots of sun

Chusquea bamboo: here is a type of bamboo that is branchy and grows mainly in America. One type of Chusquea to look for:

• Chusquea gigantean for a slow-growing clumping bamboo that looks like a running bamboo

Chimonobambusa bamboo: These are smaller-sized bamboo plants that grow to be about 6 feet high. They need good humidity and actually start their growth cycles in the colder weather, around fall or winter in North America. This is a running type of bamboo.

Types of Chimonobambusa to look for:

• Chimonobambusa marmoreal for a really dark look with thick leaves.
• Chimonobambusa marmoreal for a colourful look with a mix of red and yellow, depending on lighting conditions.

Fargesia bamboo: This is a perfect type of bamboo for growing in Canada because it can stand much colder temperatures (just below -20C, if not more). These are a valuable type of bamboo because of their slow growth (which takes patience to cultivate, or shall we say, cultivates patience?) and also because they are quite full and strong despite their being a clumping type of bamboo. They also make nice shapes, giving character to a garden.

Here are types of the exciting Fargesia to look for:

• Fargesia denudata for a rare plant that looks delicate and slim and branches out into arches.
• Fargesia dracocephala for a thick “weeping” look that can grow a wall or stakes.
• Fargesia murielae for an “umbrella” look with hints of yellow.
• Fargesia nitida for a “fountain” look with a darker purple/blue colour.
• Fargesia robusta for a tall standing straight look that is sort of yellow.
• Fargesia rufa for an easy growing, orange-like plant.
• Fargesia scabrida for a straight standing plant that changes colours like the rainbow – from orange to blue, purple and green!

While some bamboo needs warmer climates to grow healthily, the types of bamboo mentioned here can actually survive in Canada, and you can help them along by moving them inside during the winter.  Of course, there are a lot more to name, but we can’t exhaust the vastness of bamboo types all in one article!

Enjoy your exotic bamboo garden!

Battling Bad Behaving Bamboo!

Is your bamboo not behaving itself? Is what started out as a dainty garnish in one particular corner of your yard and now out of control? Perhaps you’re the new homeowner of a garden already littered with unkempt patches of these hearty shoots. Maybe you’re just not a fan of bamboo and want it gone. If you fit into any of these scenarios, sorry friend, but you’ve got your work cut out for you! Like unwanted body hair, trimming or yanking are nothing more than temporary solutions with ugly results. Good news though, in this case, you won’t need to invest in expensive laser treatment.

What makes bamboo such a great renewable resource also makes it incredibly difficult to get rid of. Bamboo contains rhizomes. Rhizomes are a type of stem that spread out horizontally through the soil and sprout new shoots (culms). What could look like several individual plants might very possibly be just one, where each culm is interconnected underground. This makes it difficult to trim away undesired culms, as you won’t be able to predict from where new ones will sprout. Furthermore, it’s nearly impossible to uproot all of the rhizomes. Some will inevitably remain in the soil, and bamboo will continue to grow.

If your aim is to contain the bamboo, building a barrier is essential. You can adapt the same technique we suggested last week in the blog post “Get started with your Bamboo Garden”. Be sure to dig a trench far enough away from the existing bamboo so that no stray rhizomes remain outside the barrier. This can be difficult to guarantee, especially if you’ve uprooted some of the existing growth. Building a stream or pond is far more effective, as bamboo will not grow through bodies of water. Concrete will work in place of water, but just doesn’t look very nice and will eventually succumb to the elements.

Although management and adaptation is environmentally ideal, if you simply must kill your bamboo your best bet is using a natural herbicide like vinegar. This is a tricky and time-sensitive process. Using a pair of shears, cut the culm about 6 inches from the ground. With a paintbrush, brush the vinegar onto the end of the culm. The goal here is to have the sap in the exposed end absorb the herbicide and carry it down the culm into the rhizomes, thus killing the whole plant. If it takes you longer than 15 seconds to apply the herbicide, the sap has already receded down the culm and it will be too late for the herbicide to have any effect. Here’s hoping you weren’t reading this step-by-step as you gave it a shot!

The herbicidal method is only viable if you’re ridding yourself of a manageable number of culms. For removing bamboo en masse, you may wish to hire professionals. The technique involves a backhoe and large quantities of gravel. On the smaller scale though, all you need is yourself, some diligence, and a little bit of elbow grease to succeed.

Clumpers and Runners: Getting Started On Your Bamboo Garden

Clumping & Running Bamboo (by the little farm acre)

Elegant and easy, growing bamboo is a cinch to get started. And forget those nay-sayers warnings that this striking shoots will overtake your personal Eden. Never you worry, growing bamboo and keeping it in line can achieved with minimal effort.

The first step is to figure out the type of bamboo you’d like to grow. There are many varieties, but they generally fall into two groups: clumpers and runners. The root structure of bamboo is complimented by rhizomes (a type of stem that stores nutrients and spreads horizontally through the soil), and these rhizomes will produce offshoot bamboo stalks (culms). The rhizomes in clumping bamboo never stray far from the initial shoots, but they will spread out across a much larger area in running bamboo. Clumpers are recommended in almost all instances except for when planting an expansive hedge or grove, as all additional culms will naturally grow within a fairly constrained area. Runners can easily get out of hand in the garden, and their invasiveness is difficult to remedy.

Spring or early summer are the best times to plant bamboo. But before you start digging up a hole for planting, you’ll need some sort of material at hand for containing the spread of rhizomes. Metal strips or concrete will work, but will degrade through weathering. High density polyethylene (HDPE) that is at least 40mil (~1mm) thick and 24-36 inches (~61-92cm) wide is recommended. Your trench should be no smaller than a square yard (~92cm squared), and about 2 inches (~5cm) shallower than the width of your containment material. Compact the soil in the bottom as well as you can, then install your barrier along the sides of the trench. It should stick 2 inches (~5cm) above the surrounding soil in order to stop any rhizomes from growing unnoticed over it. Carefully place the bamboo plant into the centre of the hole, and gently fill the trench with soil. You’ll want to carefully compact the first half of the fill, while leaving the second half loose. Lightly watering the soil as you fill up the trench can also be beneficial to the plant, but don’t overdo it.

Now that it’s in the ground, your bamboo will require a little bit of pampering over the next several years. It’s important to keep it well watered (if the leaves curl, the bamboo’s thirsty), especially during the first year. Bamboo grows very quickly, so staking the taller initial culms can help to prevent uprooting. Leaving mulch over the surrounding soil is great, as it controls soil moisture and temperature. High nitrogen fertilizer is the food of choice, but is not to be used at the time of planting. Instead, fertilize in March, June, and September. Try to keep the immediate area weed free, as bamboo doesn’t appreciate the competition. Annual pruning of dead culms will be necessary, and you’ll need to make periodic checks for rhizomes hopping the barrier. Cut them back to avoid undesired spreading. Pruning doesn’t damage the plant, and can even promote its growth.

Although it’ll take about 3 years to fully establish itself, if you follow these instructions your new bamboo will be growing so quickly you can expect beautiful results within a month or two!

How to make a bamboo wind chime

How to make a bamboo wind chime

Wind chimes are always a nice addition to any balcony, patio, window or outdoor seating area.  They add a touch of country class, and everyone loves the sweet, soothing sounds they make.  They can also let you know when a big storm might be approaching.

Many wind chimes are made from ceramic or metal tubing, but if you’re after a more natural look and a mellower tone, bamboo is one of the best materials to use.  And you can feel good that you’re using a sustainable resource to make your wind chimes.

To create a beautiful chime it only takes a few materials and some simple steps.  First find some bamboo.  You can purchase your bamboo at any plant store or possibly even a craft store.  You can also buy bamboo poles at any garden supply store.  If your bamboo is fresh you will have to let it dry out and harden.  This can take several weeks.

Once you have your bamboo, cut it into lengths with one end above the partition-like segment end, and the other below it, so you have an open tube to work with.  You will then need to split the hallow end of each piece.  This is best done using a sharp knife.  You’ll want to taper the cut at an angle to give you the best sounding chambers.

Next drill 1/8 inch holes just above the section on the solid end of each piece of bamboo.  You’ll want to make sure the holes are parallel to the sound chambers so when they’re hanging the sound chambers will be facing outward.

You will then need to get a round disc of wood or material of your choice about 7 times the diameter of your bamboo.  Drill holes around the circumference of the disk about ¾ of an inch from the edge.  Afterwards, thread some strong string or fishing wire through the holes on both the disk and the bamboo.

If you would like to have a second level to your wind chime create a smaller disk and again drill holes on its circumference to hang more bamboo poles.  You will need to drill a hole through the center of each disk so one can hang below the other.

Finally you can use a bamboo stick without any sound chamber in it to hang in the centre of the smaller disc. This will be the piece that will hit the chimes and cause them to make sound.  Make sure that it is hanging high enough so that when the wind blows it will strike the other chimes.

Finally find a good spot to hang your chime where it will be hit by the wind, but won’t get blown away.  You can secure it with an ‘S’ hook or even tie it off, but make sure you use a good knot.

Now you can have guest over for a sunny summer BBQ and both you and they will enjoy not only your green bamboo chimes, but your fun story on how to build one.

Bamboo in culture and legend

Bamboo in culture and legend

Bamboo has important cultural significance in many Asian societies. It has played an instrumental role in the development of so much—in building, in cooking, in medicine, in clothing, the list goes on. Accordingly, it has become symbolic for many cultures. In India, for example, bamboo is a symbol of friendship. And in China, bamboo is considered to be a symbol of longevity, as a result of its long lifespan.

There are even creation myths involving bamboo. Several Asian cultures believe that humanity emerged from a bamboo stem. The Japanese have a folktale called the “Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,” which tells the story of a princess who, after living on the moon, emerges from a glowing piece of bamboo. Another bamboo-inspired tale is the Philippine creation story; in it, the first man and woman both emerge from split bamboo stems. Malaysia has a similar tale: In theirs, there is a man who, while sleeping under a bamboo plant, dreams of a beautiful woman; when he wakes up, he breaks the bamboo stem and discovers her inside.

Outside of legend, bamboo is intertwined with worship and ritual in other ways. For instance, Shinto shrines in Japan are often surrounded by bamboo forests as part of a sacred barrier against evil. Similarly, Buddhist temples often have bamboo groves.

In Vietnam, bamboo has very important cultural significance. It acts as a symbol for the Vietnamese spirit. It represents hard work, straightforwardness, optimism, unity, courteousness, and adaptableness. There is even a bamboo-inspired proverb in Vietnam: “When the bamboo is old, the bamboo sprouts appear,” it says. Its message is one of immortality: The Vietnamese nation will never die. Though its people might, there will always be a younger generation to take their place, to keep Vietnam alive. In this spirit, many traditional Vietnamese villages have bamboo hedges surrounding them.

The Vietnamese also have a famous love story that involves bamboo. The tale is known as “The Hundred-knot Bamboo Tree.” It is about a poor, young farmer who falls in love with his landlord’s beautiful daughter. The landowner promises the young man marriage to his daughter if he works hard for another three years, but then goes back on his word, promising his daughter to another man. The young farmer protests, and the landowner responds by cutting him another deal: If he can bring him a bamboo stalk with one hundred knots, he can have her hand in marriage. The farmer runs into a bit of luck. During his search, Buddha appears and gives him the magic to combine multiple bamboo stalks. This allows him to accomplish his task, and ultimately marry the landlord’s daughter.

So, as you can see, bamboo is, in many cultures, held in quite high esteem. And whether or not you believe the legends, there is one thing that remains as true in the myths as it does in reality: Bamboo is a wonderful and useful plant—whether it’s being used to build houses or as a means to marry the love of one’s life.

The Bamboo Basics: Introducing an Extraordinary Plant Resource

Bamboo Flowers

So get this: bamboo isn’t a tree, it’s actually a type of grass. Not only is it the tallest grass on earth, it’s also the tallest plant. Its list of achievements doesn’t end there. It grows faster than any other plant, about 3-4 feet or more per day. For this reason, it’s an amazing renewable resource. It can be efficiently reharvested every 3-7 years with minimal impact on the environment. The root system can be left intact when harvesting, and so the cycle of regeneration and cutting back in fact can improve the health of the individual plants.

Luckily enough, this abundantly renewable resource has an endless number of uses and already finds it way into our daily lives in many ways: in our food, gardens, clothing, linens, architecture, furniture, etc. Various methods have even been devised to produce fuel from bamboo. Still, despite its exhaustive prevalence, the most definitive image of bamboo for many of us is that of its culm (stalk). Sleek and staggeringly upright, we often picture it as one of many in a forest of cool and calming green vertical lines. What we often forget is that bamboo produce flowers, and their blooming is extraordinary.

The flowering of bamboo tends to be a remarkable event, although the flowers themselves aren’t too spectacular. They bear no petals, and are unable to attract insects to aid in pollination. What’s unusual about the flowering of bamboo is its frequency. While some rare types do flower annually, most flower only once over a period of decades—sometimes as long as 130 years. By some sort of scientifically unknown mechanism (probably genetic), all bamboo plants in a region will bloom simultaneously. This normally marks the end of the life cycle for whole populations of the plant, and in some cases can be immediately devastating for both humans and animals that rely on the local bamboo for their livelihood and sustenance. However, the bamboo flower deposits a huge number of seeds onto the ground that effectively renew the entire population of dying plants relatively quickly. Icing on the cake for an already resilient and virile species. Without a doubt they’ll continue to outgrow and outlast the infinite uses we can find for them.

Bamboo: a friend of soil and water

While bamboo does a lot for this planet on a large-scale level—such as helping fight global warming—it also contributes in more localized ways as well. Bamboo is a friend of both soil and water, and it can do a lot of good for its immediate environment. Let’s take a look at how bamboo contributes in this manner.

One example: Bamboo helps prevent soil erosion that occurs in flood plains, whether along riverbanks or on steep hillsides. Bamboo also can control landslides and keep flooded rivers along their natural course. It does this by slowing the speed of the river’s water flow. And, quite luckily, bamboo thrives in many watershed areas. The abundance of water makes the land around it a perfect place for bamboo to grow. And while this is good for bamboo, the benefit is mutual. Bamboo contributes to both soil and water retention, thereby helping the land that it calls home. A bamboo forest means healthy land.

In part, the reason that bamboo is so good for the land—the reason that it helps with water retention—is because of the potassium that it contains. Bamboo shoots are a great source of potassium, which is required for plant growth. Potassium promotes strong growth, a healthier root system, and, you guessed it, water retention.

For all of these reasons and more, bamboo is considered a great fertilizer, and is often used as such. Using bamboo as a fertilizer helps the soil retain more water. The result is a soil that is more chemically-balanced and oxygenated, which, in laymen’s terms, means healthier plants. But there’s more. The soil is improved in other ways too. Bamboo has a high level of gas production and circulation. This results in bamboo absorbing two thirds more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. And since plants and trees convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, this also means that bamboo produces 35 per cent more oxygen than most other trees, such as hardwoods. In addition, bamboo’s root system helps with preventing soil erosion, and it also improves the soil by removing any excess nitrogen.

For those of you now interested in trying out bamboo as a fertilizer, here’s how. It is really quite simple and there are two ways to go about it. Your first option: simply grow some bamboo in the actual area that needs the fertilizer applications. And your second option: just cut up a few bamboo shoots and spread the pieces throughout the area you want fertilized. Both options work well.  Happy gardening!

Shoo-Foo exhibits among fellow eco-friendly businesses at EPIC Sustainable Living Expo

This year’s EPIC Sustainable Living Expo in Vancouver drew over 300 exhibitors from eco-friendly toy companies, to recycled clothing and of course, bamboo towels and linens!  Shoo-Foo was there – as usual – showing off our luxuriously soft and organic products, perfect for any home.

The ticket-buyers were just as diverse as the exhibitors.  Along came viewers who were shopping, viewers who were looking and viewers who were ‘down to business.’  Almost every Shoo-Foo product was on display, from beddings to towels and robes, and let’s not forget our unforgettably cute baby layette!  Ah yes, and of course our brand new spa head wrap and head band (thank you bald mannequins for modeling those for us!)

Everyone who came by the booth also had a chance to win bamboo products every month by following us Twitter, liking us on Facebook, subscribing to our e-newsletter and/or starting a gift registry!  The offer is, of course, still extended to anyone who wishes to follow along and be a little social with us!

Was it fun? Oh yeah! While all tradeshows make for great samplers of products galore, the businesses showcased at EPIC were especially magnetic!  How calming, and yet exciting, to know that the eco-friendly choice is becoming so easily accessible to the modern consumer who wishes to ‘go green’ as they say. Not only that, we were so proud to see that many of our fellow exhibitors were also Canadian, like us! Go Canada!

EPIC is put on by Vancouver-based GLOBE Foundation, which is a non-profit organization supporting sustainability practices among businesses.  They put on events that draw thousands each year to focus on producing planet-friendly initiatives among businesses and government bodies.

For more information on EPIC, visit epicexpo.com.  For more on the GLOBE Foundation, visit globe.ca.

Check out our YouTube slideshow video of the event below!

A Serious Sting: The Current Bee Colony Crisis

Photo from fOTOGLIF

The inner workings of bee culture are fascinating. From the way these little busy bodies work around the clock to their limbo lingo form of communicative dance. But did you know bees are an integral part of our livelihoods? Their cross pollination process is one of the main ways plants reproduce and diversify. And plants of course, are important for almost every reason in the book, from food to soil and water sustainability. Without them, living or even surviving would be a struggle.

Whether this is an intro to bee-cology for you or you’re a long time bee enthusiast, it may be time to brush up or fill your kids in on the fact that bees are rapidly disappearing.

When a bee on a scouting mission finds a source of pollen, it flies back to the hive to let the other workers know where to go. The scout performs a complex dance that explains the direction and distance of the pollen in relation to the hive. The individual workers stock up enough honey to fuel themselves for the journey there and back, and set off to collect the pollen. The fruit of their labour is then used to make more honey.

Of course, the success their mission depends on remembering where it is they’re headed, and bringing enough food to keep them going for the round trip. The scout’s choreography is extremely accurate, but the presence of genetically modified crops’ pollen is making this dancing duty difficult. This is lethal for the workers, and leads to Colony Collapse Disorder. The hive loses the workforce it needs to sustain itself.

Most genetically modified crops are designed to host Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) which is a natural insecticide used to fight crop-destroying bugs. Bees are not harmful to crops, in fact they are important players in the reproductive process of plants. However, Bt from the pollen of genetically modified crops is ending up in the bees’ food supply. While it won’t kill a bee directly, it elicits an immune response in the bee that consumes protein. The bees need this protein to form memories and learn effectively. Without them, the workers can’t judge how much honey to stock on their pollen runs, much less remember the instructions of the scout. Lost and starved, the worker bees die. Honey supplies diminish, and the hive falls into decline.

A sad but very true set of circumstances. Fortunately, knowledge is one of greatest tools to spark change. Letting your family and friends in on the many ways we can reduce our carbon footprint can help us all, even the littlest creatures.

When I was your age: The quest for natural wonders

take your kids to the beach

When I was a kid I would play for hours in my backyard with my brothers. With our imaginations at the helm we would have breakfast in China with Pandas (after we dug there of course) and lunch with Mermaids under the sea (once we hit water). We had the life. A life where sticks were transformed into swords and flowers into fairies. Our only boundaries were the constraints of our minds, which at the time were boarder-less. Today however times have in many ways changed. Families are being raised in high rise apartments and kids are often not given the luxury of playing outside. There is really no one to blame for this, its progress. Cities grow and backyards shrink along with the number of stay at home parents, its inevitable. My childhood may have been rich with all the sights and smells of nature but that was thanks to my giant backyard, a backyard that has long since been bulldozed.

I only hope I can provide the same life to my children that I was given, but who knows. With downtown life becoming the norm and the cost of living sky-rocketing, there is a good chance that I will be forced to be a working mom. When I was a child I was lucky my mom was able to stay home and raise us. If she had brought us up today that may have been different. Due to circumstance may would argue that it is next to impossible to find the time to entertain their kids, but I argue that it is possible. Maybe not all-day everyday, but certainly at the very least on weekends. This is a time when you can explore lush forests and tidal beaches, the natural gifts of life. And if its raining, no problem, kids love the rain and rubber boots and raincoats are the name of the game. When I was a kid I loved coming indoors after hours spend jumping in puddles for a creamy cup of hot chocolate, it was a treat. Simple pleasure are the key, and not just for adults. A hike through a dew-rich boggy path can be your child’s playground. While shallow minnow filled tidal pools can be their zoo. There is a whole world of endless imagination to discover and its right outside our doors.

A couple weeks ago a nanny friend of mine told me that she took the kids she nannies to White Rock beach. Once in the car one of the kids excitedly proclaimed that he had never been to the beach before, ever. As my girlfriend shared her story with me it was impossible for her to hide the dismay in her voice. But how could I blame her as I was having a hard time wiping the astounded look from my face. Two kids, one 7 the other 5 who had never placed their tiny feet into wet sand or held crabs in their hands. Icouldn’t believe it, the beach was such a vital part of my childhood.

Now I realize that this is an extreme case (or at least I hope it is), but how is it possible that these kids had never been to the beach? They even live in White Rock, the beach is literally right there. The sad thing is that so many kids are raised indoors not by parents but by TVs. They may have never played with play dough or made a caterpillar out of an egg carton, but they have seen ever episode of Dora the Explorer. My nanny friend told me that it was like pulling teeth to get the kids away from the TV and outdoor, it was like they were in a trance. Call me crazy, biased or whatever but I really don’t think kids should be living through fictional characters experiences. I understand that its hard to find time to entertain your kids sometimes (especially when your busy with work), but what happened to weekends?

Weekends can be spent exploring all the natural wonders that this world has to offer. Let nature guide your kids on quest full of endless possibilities, while the fresh air releases you from your busy life. Whether it be a bike ride through Stanley Park or a picnic in Lynn Valley there are tones of kid-friendly outdoor activities for busy families. Let your child’s vivid imaginations take hold while it transforms them into an explorer. Its natural family fun that everyone can enjoy, that last time I checked was in many cases free… Perfect! One less thing to stress about.

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